Items such as garbage containers or other storage containers that are installed in lower cabinets, such as kitchen cabinets, typically require a user to bend over to access the container and do not offer the user the option to raise the container up to a more comfortable height. Storage and organizational containers that are installed in the cabinet are also typically not released from their topmost level and lowered back into the cabinet. Storage and organizational containers that are installed in the cabinet typically are unable to perform more that one motion, i.e., being able to be pulled out as well as raised up.
In order to withstand the weight of the items, storage and organizational items that are typically available today and which are able to be lifted to countertop height must be adjusted manually to counter balance the weight. Similar storage and organizational items that raise up to countertop height are typically not functional when not raised up to countertop height, and not easily installed by an end consumer, as they are typically too complicated to be installed by anyone other than a custom kitchen designer or OEM.
Shelving units that create additional workspace by concealing the shelving unit inside a cabinet are also known. Many of these shelving units are adapted to be lifted up to countertop height. Some shelving units are directed specifically to placing an appliance on a lift allowing a user to store appliances inside a cabinet, and lift them to countertop height when in use. These shelving units are commonly known to be unable to perform more than a single motion (i.e. being able to be pulled out as well as raised up). In addition, shelving units that can be lifted out of a cabinet are difficult to release once they are in a raised position. In some shelving units with a lift, in order to withstand the weight of certain items that are lifted to the countertop, the lift must be manually adjusted to counter balance the weight. These shelving units are complex and difficult to mount by a consumer in a cabinet without additional professional assistance.
While storage, organizational, and shelving units according to the prior art provide a number of advantageous features, they nevertheless have certain limitations. The present invention is provided to solve the problems discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by prior units of this type. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.